Charade
by Keitii Manga
Summary: A normal day. Nothing ever changes. It is time to end this charade.  Edited.


This is my first Kuro fic, but I tried to keep them in character. Please feel free to tell me your opinions. This will probably stay a one-shot.

I own nothing but the plot of this story.

_Charade_

A normal day in the Phantomhive estate. Useless servants, wasting their time and his. Useless duties to perform, useless meetings to arrange. Yes, a very normal day.

Ciel Phantomhive stared blankly into his tea. The cup was, of course, made of the finest materials, had elaborate designs carved by only the best, and had been priced extremely high. The tea was also, of course, made from the finest ingredients, mixed in just the right way, made only for his liking.

Useless.

He idly wondered if how he saw his tea was how Sebastian saw his soul. Was he not like the tea cup? Crafted by the best, every detail immaculate, never a step out of line, then filled with meaningless substance, only to be devoured? Yes, he mused, but even such a well-crafted thing is easily broken. With that, he lashed out at the porcelain cup, throwing it against the wall in his force, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

The butler's eyes narrowed at the young earl from across the room.

"Sebastian," the earl called in a monotone voice.

"Yes, my lord?" came the usual reply, betraying no emotion the demon felt- if indeed he felt any at all- as he addressed his master.

"What is my schedule like today?" Ciel asked, looking up at his servant in a bored manner.

Sebastian blinked. "My lord," he replied, tilting his head slightly, "I have already once gone over the day's schedule. Have you forgotten so easily after just a few hours?"

At this, Ciel slammed his palms on the desk angrily, teeth gritted, "Do not talk down to me like I am some child, Sebastian! I have asked you a question! Answer me!"

The servant sighed, bowing his head to his childish fifteen-year-old master. "My apologies, my lord. After you have completed the paper work from our last mission given to us by the queen, you are to have lunch with Lady Elizabeth at One O'clock sharp, followed by a leisurely stroll through the gardens, at which point you are to give the Lady the engagement ring given to you by the Countess to give to her daughter. After which you are to return to the manor, escort Lady Elizabeth to her carriage and then come inside for your afternoon snack and tea."

Ciel slumped into his chair once again. "I don't see why I should even bother." He looked directly into his servant's eye, daring him to object, "Do you, Sebastian? Seeing as there are only two evil men left at this point for you to kill. After which our contract will be over, correct?"

Sebastian eyed his young master warily and spoke carefully, "Yes, my lord, you are correct. However, as we do not know where- or who for that matter- the men are, it may take years for all we know to find them."

"Don't give me that crap, Sebastian." Ciel had his head in his hands at this point, "You know as well as I do that we are close to ending this contract. It cannot last more than another year at this point. We have already found all of the other occultists, leaving only the two, whom, Sebastian, you know the identity of. Do not pretend as if you do not know."

Sebastian was mildly surprised at this. "You are quite intelligent, young master, as always. I should have known you would catch on soon. Yes, I do indeed know the identities. However," he added, "I do not know their current locations. That is why I did not feel the need to tell you-"

"Sebastian," Ciel cut him off quietly.

"Yes, my lord?" came the normal reply.

It was One O'clock. Ciel sat in his chair at the head of the table in the dining hall. His fiancé Lizzy sat happily at the other end, chatting about stupid girly things the Earl could not bring himself to care about. He idly sat and stared at his plate of lavish and expensive food, instead.

"Lizzy," the young earl cut the girl off mid-sentence from whatever stupid thing she was carrying on about at the time. Quite shocked that he had decided to speak at all, she eagerly smiled at him and said, "Yes, Ciel?"

"Let us take a walk, shall we? I have no appetite." he stood from his chair abruptly.

"Y-yes, of course! What a wonderful idea!" she stammered, getting up as well.

They walked out into the gardens where Finny usually managed to ruin the flowers. Sebastian had seen to them himself recently, however, so the roses in question were stunningly beautiful. Of course, why wouldn't they be? After all, Sebastian had tended to them. Everything Sebastian tended to was perfect. Aside from Ciel.

Ciel reached for one of the beauties mindlessly, pricking his finger on a hidden thorn in the process. He stared down at the droplet of blood that arose from his small wound.

Elizabeth grabbed Ciel's had abruptly, "Ciel, what are you doing? Don't you know that roses have thorns? They will hurt you if you grab at them so easily! Are you alright?"

Ciel grabbed Lizzy's hands in his own, blood smearing against the girl's pale fingers. "Lizzy," he said, looking at her sadly.

"Ciel?" she questioned, slightly confused by the boy's behavior.

"Lizzy, I cannot marry you. I am to die soon." he stated plainly, as if voicing an opinion on the weather.

Elizabeth was in shock. She stared at her fiancé in silence, trying to comprehend what he was telling her. She must have heard him wrong.

"What?" she asked breathlessly, her voice catching in her throat at his cold expression.

"You are too young to be a widow, Lizzy. I am sorry. Of course, all my things are to go to you and the servants after I di-"

"Don't speak of things like this so easily, Ciel!" she screamed, cutting him off, "You can't just decide you're going to d-die!" she started to tremble as she spoke, tears falling from her eyes.

He let go of her hands and stepped back. "I do apologize, Elizabeth, truly. I cannot lie to you any longer, though. I must end this charade. Before this year has ended, I will have left this world. I will die."

Elizabeth cried. He knew she would. She wept for hours as he watched her, calling gently for Sebastian after he could not watch any more. The loyal servant was by his side in an instant, obeying his master's unspoken orders. The girl was gently picked up and carried to her awaiting carriage, unused engagement ring tucked unbeknownst to her in her coat pocket. She could not form words any longer as Sebastian lifted her into the carriage, but the smile on his face shocked her into silence. As she was seated, she stared at his devilish smirk. And in that instance, she knew. She understood that this man was the one taking her Ciel away from her. But all she could do was stare, even as the demon closed the door, smile growing.

She was certain she would never see Ciel again.

"Sebastian,"

"Yes, my lord?"

These words were spoken earlier that morning in the Earl's office.

"Today we shall end this charade." the words were spoken softly, but the burn they both felt in the marks of their contract was absolute. "Kill those men as I speak with Elizabeth. Then come for me."

A smile spread across the demon's face. He placed his hand on his chest, where Ciel was now certain no heart resided, and spoke the normal words, "Yes, my lord," even though their days of 'normal' were over.

Finally, they were ending their charade.


End file.
